Four ballot initiatives with at least some rail transit component all appear to have passed on Tuesday, based on results available this morning (Wednesday, Nov. 6).
— In Maricopa County, Ariz., which includes Phoenix, voters appear to have approved an extension of a half-cent sales tax for transit, the Arizona Republic reports. The tax, introduced in 1985 and last extended by voters in 2004, will raise about $15 billion, most of which will go for highway projects with some for bus transit. The Valley Metro light rail system will receive only a small portion of the funds, for maintenance rather than any further expansion. Results as of 3:36 a.m. local time show the initiative, Proposition 479, passing with 60% of the vote.
— In the Denver area, a measure has been approved allowing the Regional Transportation District to keep tax money that otherwise would have been returned under the state’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights, the Denver Post reports. RTD officials had estimated that $670 million of the agency’s annual budget would have otherwise been subject to the Bill of Rights revenue limits, requiring service cuts unless voters approved a new tax.
— In Nashville, Tenn., voters have approved a $3.1 billion transit plan including a half-cent sales tax for funding, WSMV-TV reports. While rail is only a small part of the Transit Improvement Program plan, it does call for converting the WeGo Star commuter rail schedule from a focus on morning and evening rush hours to one providing service throughout the day, as well as more weekend and special-events operation.
— In Washington state, voters have turned down a measure to repeal the state’s Climate Commitment Act, KOMO-TV reports. That legislation created a carbon cap-and-invest program that funds a number of transit and transportation programs. Current figures show 62% of voters casting ballots against Initiative 2117, with 62% of results reported.
There were nine other major transit ballot measures — mostly bus-focused — and a total of 21 nationwide, according to the American Public Transportation Association. Among the major initiatives, measures in Flagstaff, Ariz.; Columbus, Ohio; Horry County, S.C.; and Richland County, S.C., and Seattle were approved or are leading in current results, voters in Georgia’s Cobb and Gwinnett counties voted down separate measures, as did those in ; South Carolina’s Beauford and Charleston counties.
Good. If transit is what the voters want, then pay for it. Transit costs money, and local transit should be locally funded. I’m happy to pay taxes for the publicly-subsidized bus systems in my home county if others will do the same where they live in the various states.
Caifornians now can pass a ballot measure for CalHSR b/c the federal subsidy is now over, since last night’s election results. Many years after it should have been.